A Camper’s Story

We made this website for Rip Rap because we love their campsite. Here’s our story..

On a whim, we decided to drive to Bella Coola with our trailer simply because we had never been. Once we descended the famous “Hill”, we explored the campsite options but that ended quick when we pulled into Rip Rap.

We were greeted by Rip Rap’s owners, Jim and Amber, two endearing locals who grew up here. They built and designed this beautiful campsite and were perfect hosts with infinite knowledge of this magic part of the world.

We then drove past the 1950′s car parked by the office, and the antique tractor bordering the wheat field and were happily distracted by the mind blowing views. We toured the whole site, and normally we opt for the treed seclusion of the most private site we can get, but the views from the open area are seriously some of the greatest views in the world. It was impossible not to set up camp there.

That’s when we started to realize how unique and crafted Rip Rap really is. Ornate Canadiana style prevails, all uniquely designed for the campsite, it’s like walking into a different era. Century old cabins, hand carved door handles, enchanting sitting area atop a roaring river, and dare I say even beautiful outhouses. In contrast, we also received full bar phone signal at the campsite so we could have the internet to work remotely if need be.

Beyond the campsite itself, we thought we’d have to drive daily for other entertainment and activities. We then realized that within walking distance were tennis courts, waterfall hikes, a grocery store stocked with camping and fishing gear, movie rentals, gift shop, tourist info and river tours (as well as some of the best coffee and food you’ll ever taste) from Bella Coola Mountain Lodge.

Within a 15 minute drive, we ocean fished, prawned and crabbed, we walked through an ancient rainforest, hiked to 4000 year old Nuxalk rock carvings, roamed the oceanfront, toured the historic Tallheo Cannery and met some unforgettable locals along the way. Rip Rap also owns the riverfront property across the river from the campsite, which campers can use to fish the mighty Bella Coola river.

At the site we met visitors from all over the world. Kiwis, South Africans, Germans, British and local BCers, many of whom visit yearly. All of them reveled in their discovery of Rip Rap, and most of them stayed longer than planned.

So did we.

We planned to go for 3 days. We stayed for 3 weeks. We fell in love with this place and realized they didn’t have a website, so we offered to make one.

Bella Coola is truly a land of legends and beauty, and Rip Rap felt like home amongst it all. We’ll be back, so maybe we’ll see you there.